Fact · Typing and writing speed
0.5 to 10keystrokes per character
For English, KSPC values across text entry techniques range from about 10, for methods that use only cursor keys and a select key, down to about 0.5, for word prediction techniques.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Values for English range from about 10 for methods using only cursor keys and a SELECT key to about 0.5 for word prediction techniques.”
KSPC (Keystrokes per Character) as a Characteristic of Text Entry Techniques, I. Scott MacKenzie, Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices (Mobile HCI 2002), LNCS 2411, Springer, 2002, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1007/3-540-45756-9_16)- What it measures
- The range is across the techniques the paper compares, from slow navigation-based entry to word prediction that completes words for the writer.
- What it does not show
- The range describes the techniques in the paper, which were chosen to illustrate the measure. It is not a survey of how people type.